Article Critique: An Electronic Fog Has Settled over America

Harley HaffordJan Foster
I have to agree to disagree with the article “An Electronic Fog Has Settled over America."
The article states that television makes children "dumber.” In my opinion this statement can be true or false. If children watch educational shows or movies instead of the non-educational I think that they would not get dumb. If you think about it, it’s not the children's fault that they are watching the "dumb" shows; it’s the parents fault because they should put on something educational. Parents should limit the child's time watching television. The children should only be allowed to watch an hour of television. Then it’s the parents’ job to make sure they go do their homework or read a book, instead of watching hours and hours of television. The positive aspects of watching television include that you have something to talk to your friends and relatives about. There are certain programs which are more popular than others if you watch them you feel included and that you have something in common with the people around you. Television can also help to foster a sense of national identity, since a significant proportion of the population will be exposed to the same kind of news programs and television shows, so that people feel that they belong to a wider community. Plus, television can also be very informative and educational, opening people’s eyes up to the world outside. Also educational TV programs provide priceless information that not only educate but also opens up your mind and eyes. Most of these programs teach and educate people on subjects that you may otherwise will never know and are never taught in schools.
However, there are also a lot of television shows that are not very educational, and could even be considered “trash”. Reality shows, for instance, offer nothing of any worth to the audience, yet people still tune in. People get hooked on shows which are poorly produced and concentrate on mostly sex and violence. Although there is no conclusive evidence that watching violence on TV makes children more violent, when there is so much violence on TV, it makes sense that people would become desensitized to it, and that this could make it easier for children to engage in violent activities. Unsupervised children spending too much of their time in front of a TV can have a big impact on their life. Obesity, lack of social skills, and poor academic results are just some of the effects TV have on children.
Some Phycologists believe that too much TV time can have a major affect in the psychology of the child. Children are supposed to interact and play, not sit and watch television for hours. It is also evident that many people spend too much time watching television, so that parent’s don’t bother to spend any time playing or talking with their children. It is far too easy to stick them in front of the television, rather than taking them to the park. It can’t be a coincidence that so many people are now overweight when they spend much more time watching television then they would of years ago.
People used to be a lot more active, but now television is the most convenient way for individuals to keep themselves occupied. Thus, they burn hardly any calories while most probably consuming an excessive amount of calories. When children watch television for hours get many physical and mental problems. The children became unaware of the fun of childhood, like flying kites, making sand castles, playing in fields, and the innocence of being stubborn. There is evidence that television viewing can increase a child’s display of aggression. Children who watch aggressive programs and cartoons with lots of violence can be more likely to engage in aggressive behavior than those that do not watch violent programs.